Mine-door.



PATENTED APR. 2,1907. W. W. ZUBER.

MINE DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.14, 1907.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM W. ZUBER, OF OSNABURG, OHIO.

MINE-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed January 14, 1907. Serial No. 352,071.

To a whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. ZUBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Osnaburg, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine-Doors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the numerals and figures of reference marked thereon, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the door closed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the door, showing the same opened. Fig. 3 is a view showing the bottom or lower end of the door-frame and the door closed.

The present invention has relation to minedoors; and it consists in the novelarrangement hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the fixed door-frame, which is of the usual construction and of suflicient size to allow for the passage of cars, such as are commonly used in coal-mines, when the door is open. The door proper consists of a suitable frame 2, to which is attached canvas or like material 3. The door-frame 2 is pivotally attached at its top or upper end portion to the fixed door-frame 1 and in such a manner that the door-frame can swing from a vertical position to substantially a horizon tal one. At one side of the fixed door-frame 1 is located the Wheel 4, which wheel is fixed to the shaft or bearing 5. The periphery of the wheel 4 is provided with the grooves 6 and 7, which grooves are for the purpose of receiving the operating cords or wires 8 and 9, which cords or wires extend in opposite directions from the door proper and are passed over pulleys 10 and 11 and extend downward, so as to bring them in position to be reached and open and close the door, as hereinafter described. For the purpose of holding the door in a closed position the wheel 4 is provided with the counterbalance 12, which counterbalance is so located that its weight will have a tendency to hold the door against movement except when it is desired to open the door. frame 1 is located the frame 13 or its equiva- At one side of the door 1 lent, to the top or upper portion of which is attached the spring-catch 14, which springcatch'is substantially of the form shown and is for the purpose of engaging the free end of the door when the door is brought into substantially a horizontal position. The mine-door here described is designed to be operated by the driver, and as the driver approaches the door in either direction it is opened by a pull upon the wires or cords 8 and 9, according to the direction of travel. To better illustrate the operation, let it be supposed that the car is being moved from left to right, and when the driver comes with in reach of the weighted pull 15 he moves the weighted pull downward, which rotates the wheel 4 by means of the wire or cord 9 and brings the door-frame 2, together with the canvas or other material attached thereto, into the position illustrated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, or full lines, Fig. 2, and as the free end of the door approaches the spring-catch 14 said spring-catch engages and holds the door in an elevated and open position.

For the purpose of preventing any accidental displacement of the door after it has been opened the counterweight 12 is so located upon the wheel 4 'that it will have a tendency to move downward and be held against downward movement by reason of the spring-catch 14, thereby utilizing the counterbalance 12 to firmly seat the free end of the door upon the spring-catch. After the door has been passed and it is desired to close the door the wire or cord 16 is pulled downward, which cord or wire extends upward over the pulley 17, and thence rearward over and around the pulley 18, and thence to the spring 14, so that a downpull of the Wire or cord 16 will move the spring 14 from under the door, at which time the door is free to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 1. If the movement of the car is in the opposite direction or from right to left, then the cord or wire 8 is pulled downward, and when it is desired to close the door the wire or cord 19 is pulled downward when reached by the driver, which cord extends over the pulleys 20 and 21 and is also connected to the spring-catch 14.

For the purpose of stopping the door when it reaches a vertical position the stop-plates I 22 or their equivalents are provided and are secured to the door-frame 1 or its equivalent.

For the purpose of properly supporting the bearing 5 at its outer end and also sup porting the wheel 4 the arm 23 is provided, which arm is securely fixed to the door-frame 1 or its equivalent and the shaft or bearing 5 journaled in the upper end of said arm.

For the purpose of better cutting off the flow of air at the bottom of the door the canvas 3 is extended some distance below the door-frame 2 and is provided with the notches 24 and 25, the notches 24 being for the purpose of providing for the railway-rails 26 and the notch being for the purpose of better exposing the free end of the door-frame, so

I that the canvas will not interfere with the spring-catch 14.

For the purpose of holding the various cords or wires they are each provided with the weighted pulls, which are secured to the various cords or wires in any convenient and well-known manner.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the cord 9 is shown located upon the outside of the supporting-frames, and of course when so located su'l'licient room should be provided between the frames and the vertical wall of the mine to allow access to the pull. If this provision cannot be made in all instances, the cord should be placed upon the inside of the frame, so that the frame can set snugly against the vertical wall of the mine or entrance. In use mine-doors are usually placed at the entrance of the mine, or possibly at intervals, and are simply for the purpose of checking the flow of air.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. In a mine trap-door the combination of a door-frame, and a door pivotally mounted at the top or upper portion of the frame, a wheel provided with a counterbalance, cords adapted to actuate the wheel, said cords provided with weighted pulls, a springcatch adapted to hold the door in an open position, cords extended in opposite directions flom the spring-catch and adapted to release the spring-door, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a mine-door the combination of a fixed door-frame, a door pivotally mounted in the frame, a wheel provided with a counterbalance, said counterbalance adapted to hold the door in a closed position, a springcatch connected to the door frame, and adapted to engage the door when in an elevated position, said counterbalance of the wheel adapted to hold the door in engagement with the spring-catch, means for releasing the spring-catch from the door, and means for actuating the wheel, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM WV. ZUBER. Witnesses:

J. A. JEFFERs, SYLVIA BOEON. 

